Sasuke and Naruto
by Zenerific1
Summary: Sasuke's and Naruto's families have fought for years. When they meet they are instantly attracted to the other. Will it be love forever or will the rivalry tear them apart? SasuNaru, AU, Yaoi, OOCness.
1. Act One

**Sasuke and Naruto**

_Act One: A Skirmish of Shakespearean Proportions_

_By Zenerific1_

_(beta'd by K. R. Ukido)_

Everyone knew that the beautiful city of Konoha was divided by two families at war with each other. It had been going on for more years than most of the citizens cared to remember. Speculators and rumor mongers wondered if even the two families knew why they hated each other. No one knew how it stared; they just knew that it caused an enormous amount of strife in the otherwise peaceful community.

The Uchiha were an extensively rich family that resided in the Northern part of the city. The family was huge and every one of them the embodiment of pale perfection. Every child born had hair as black as ebony and eyes to match. From the cradle, they were taught to be aloof and upright, to not show emotions, and to disdain all things not worth of the family name. They became strong, opinionated adults; cold and uncaring of anything but their own interests.

Because of their impeccable business sense, their ancestors had become wealthy and so the family had old money—not that they didn't have new money too. They had the touch of King Midas without the nasty side effects of a lifetime of miser; anything that they took an interest in became very lucrative and successful.

The other side of the feud was the _Namikaze_, no less handsome and wealthy, but the complete opposites of the Uchiha. They were colorful, not only in their looks but also in their personalities. They were considered 'new' money because they didn't have generations of ancestry behind their fortune.

Minato, currently the head of the Namikaze family, was still young and ambitious. The third mayor of Konoha was grooming him to take over his position. Minato was also a programming genius, having developed a popular line of security programs for the computer known as 'Rasengan'. He'd also programmed computer games and one of his most popular ones was 'The Yellow Flash', a game about a young ninja's adventures in a world far different from the real one.

Madara Uchiha, head of the Uchiha clan, didn't have any children but had chosen Fugaku, his nephew, as his heir. Fugaku was level-headed and knew the importance of being an Uchiha. The younger man had been loyal in every way, proving himself to be a true asset to the Uchiha. He'd increased the wealth of the family several times over during his time in charge of the number one business. His sons had attended the best schools and would one day inherit the position as head from their father. His oldest son, Itachi, had taken his place and was following closely in his father's shoes while the youngest, Sasuke, was attending a local university. Both were the pride of the Uchiha and geniuses in their own right.

Sasuke excelled at nearly everything, determined to surpass Itachi and gain recognition from his father. He was quiet, controlled, and stoic; everything the Uchiha were proud of.

The Namikaze had two sons also. Kyuubi was his legitimate son and the one that everyone expected to take over the business, while the youngest was Naruto. Naruto was the love child of Minato and a girl named Kushina. The Namikaze hadn't known about Naruto until the boy was twelve. Blue eyes and bright blond hair, plus his features, marked him as Minato's son. The only difference was the three symmetrical lines that marred each cheek. No one knew if they were birth marks or scars but they didn't detract from the gorgeous boy's countenance. Naruto was loud and fun loving, his number one passion was hanging with his friends—if one didn't listen to him expound on the joys of ramen. His greatest dream was to be mayor after his father.

*** R ***

"Itachi! Itachi," Tobi was saying excitedly in his high voice while bouncing around the other two as they walked down streets of Konoha. "I saw the cutest little blond the other day, with the most luscious tan skin and large, sumptuous—."

"Tobi! I don't want to hear you extol any woman's beauty. The last time you did, you went into so much detail as to put me off women for good!" Itachi snarled, his eyebrow twitching at the memory.

"—hands?" Tobi finished a little more quietly.

It wasn't that Itachi didn't like the female form; he enjoyed all types of beauty. But he wasn't attracted to round hips and breasts. And Tobi's fascination was more than a little crude at times. On more than one occasion he'd heard his cousin state, 'I'd like to dip my stick into that.' Of course the car reference wasn't lost on Itachi, Tobi's third love was cars.

It was Tobi's first love that allowed Itachi to tolerate the older man. Tobi loved computers first and foremost, but he also loved infiltrating any place that was supposed to be off limits. Itachi could stick Tobi on any computer terminal and Tobi could hack through any security protocol in the world in minutes without leaving a trace.

"Tobi, the woman could be ugly as an Inuzuka, blind in one eye and can't see out the other, sporting a peg leg, and you would still think she's cute," Shisui said. "Of course that's not saying much since she'd still be more attractive than you!" Itachi's other cousin was teasingly referring to the orange, swirled mask Tobi always wore. He'd worn it since an accident when he was thirteen had scarred part of his face. To the family the mask was just another part of Tobi, like his arm or his leg. But Itachi was surprised when a woman flirted with the man. He guessed that the mask made his cousin seem mysterious. He wasn't being shallow he just didn't see the attraction.

"Well, at least I get laid occasionally, Shisui. When's the last time you've had a piece of tail?" Tobi jeered, flipping the younger man the bird.

"I didn't have to worry about getting an STD from some skank who's more desperate than a Namikaze on Valentine's Day."

"Hey! Debbie wasn't a skank!"

"She was after you got done with her," Shisui laughed.

"Enough!" Itachi interrupted. "I swear, I'm the youngest but I act more mature than the two of you put together."

"Says the guy who gets drunk every night and does a grand impression of RuPaul," yodeled Tobi, before dancing out of Itachi's reach.

"You'd better watch it, Tobi, or Itachi's gonna use that knife of his and cut you a new asshole," chortled Shisui.

"You'd be next in line, Shi," Itachi growled menacingly, irritated with the banter between his cousins. He rubbed at a gnawing pain beginning to bloom behind his eyes.

"Aw, are you jealous, It'i?" Tobi mocked from several feet away. Most people would suggest that the masked man wasn't very smart but he knew better that to be within reaching distance of his young cousin while mocking him.

Itachi's eyes narrowed and focused on Tobi. "You should be happy that that I've been raised to believe that chasing is demeaning, because if I hadn't I'd make you eat those words. Then I'd make sure that you endured seventy-two hours of torture!"

Tobi paled under his mask putting even more distance between him and Itachi. Spying a small grocery store on the corner, Tobi went inside to search for a fulfilling but high sugared snack. He made sure to stay out of Itachi's way and the one time he didn't he ended up being smacked upside the head.

"Ow! Damnit, Itachi, are you still mad? Geez, can you hold a grudge!"

The three browsed the store for a little while enjoying the cool air that was circulating through the air conditioners. they were making their way to the counter when the bell over the door rang out. New customers were coming into the quiet market.

Itachi immediately grabbed both his cousins and ducked into the medicine aisle.

"He—"

He clapped a hand over Tobi's mouth, cutting off the protest.

"Kyuubi Namikaze," Itachi hissed. Those two words immediately stilled the older man who pushed farther back down the aisle. It was well known that Kyuubi had a fierce temper and was impatient to boot. Itachi stayed where he was and listened intently to the conversation.

"Hell, Kyu, you're telling me that you don't care that you've been passed over?" Neji exclaimed. The Hyuuga was confused by the nonchalance in his friend's reaction.

"He can have it. You know that I can't stand being sociable and as heir apparent I'd end up having to be at all those functions and charity auctions. It's much better for me this way," the red head said with an indolent shrug.

The twenty-five-year-old Kyuubi wandered through the store towards the cooler. Opening the door and grabbing a bottle of green tea from the shelf he twisted the lid off with a soft snick. His friends followed his lead and grabbed teas for themselves.

"Yeah," Kankuro commented with a sharp bark of laugher. "Can you see Kyu in a tux and sucking up to those old bastards?"

Neji seemed to pause at the picture before agreeing with the rough looking man. He flipped back a lock of his long brown hair before nodding.

"I look damn good in a tux, Konnie," Kyu retorted.

"I'm sure you do, pretty boy, but I remember a time when you swore you'd never wear a suit and tie except at your own funeral."

"Hm, I did say that, and if the Uchiha's have anything to say about that it'll be in the near future."

Neji and Kankuro frowned at their friend's blasé remark. It was true in the sense that every time they met up with one of the Uchiha's they ended up in a fight. The last time, Kyuubi had been stabbed through the side and now bore a nasty scar. The emergency room had to remove a kidney and the man had nearly died. Neither of the two friends felt that the red head should be as accepting of this as he was. But neither said anything to refute the statement either.

"Well, are you going to the party tonight?" Kankuro asked changing the subject.

"Of course, it wouldn't be right if I didn't at least show up to tell him congrats now would it?"

"I'll be there as well. Hinata wants to go so I'll have to escort her," Neji commented.

"She still has a crush on him?" asked Kyuubi.

"Yes, though I can't say that I blame her."

"Hey, watch it. I don't want to have to kick your ass."

"Maybe you shouldn't have such a pretty brother?"

"You're starting to piss me off, Neji," Kyuubi warned. He knew how attractive his brother was to people, but he didn't want to hear about if from his friend.

Neji backed off, mostly because he had the same feelings towards his cousin, Hinata. He felt a dollop of relief because she had a boyfriend who would rip the face off anyone that looked at her wrong, though that didn't stop Neji from wanting to rip his face off.

Kyuubi's feelings for his brother bordered on the line of obsessive protector. Once, someone had accused him of those feelings being more than just overprotective older brother. After Kyuubi was through with him, the man never spoke or walked again.

Neji knew that Kyuubi wouldn't do more than punch him, but he wasn't going to push the issue. They'd had more than enough of the violence that permeated the Namikaze family. Ever since they were twelve and had lost a friend due to that violence, anyway.

There had been four of them, back then, Kyuubi, Neji, Kankuro, and Anko. Anko had teasingly called them the four musketeers. They had been friends since pre-school, fighting over whose turn it was to play with the blocks. Anko had been the best of them; the glue that held them together, and the water that cooled their tempers. On more than one occasion she'd stood between them while they'd argued about which football team was better or held them because a girl had rejected one of them.

She'd also been naïve enough to believe that she could make peace between the two rivaling families. Mainly because she had been in love with Obito Uchiha. Even though she'd never met him face to face and he was three years older, every time she saw him her heart shone in her eyes.

They never knew why they'd been targeted by the group that day; it could have just been an open opportunity for the Uchihas. The fight itself had been quick and dirty. It'd been a brawl at first with the three boys doing their best to protect Anko. Then one of the Uchihas was holding a bloody knife and Anko was sinking to the ground holding her stomach. Neji remembered the look of horror that had crossed the young Uchiha's face as he dropped the knife. He could still remember the distinct clatter of the blade when it hit the pavement. Neji still had nightmares.

"I—I didn't mean to…," the boy had stuttered looking from the knife to Anko—who was being held by Kyuubi. Kankuro was moaning holding his crooked arm, obviously broken. Neji was dizzy and his vision wavered even as he looked to Kyuubi for direction.

"Come on! Let's get out of here," another Uchiha shouted. The four took off down the street.

"Anko! Anko, are you okay?" Kyu asked, the fear in his voice making it crack slightly.

"He…he was going…to stab you…" Anko muttered softly clearly in a lot of pain. "…had a…knife…"

Neji knelt next to them and found it hurt to breathe. Kankuro staggered over to them and sank down next to them, disregarding his injury.

"Neji, we need help," Kyu said urgently. "Anko's hurt bad and Konnie's arm is broken." Neji didn't point out his injuries, in fact he didn't think about them at all, he just ran off to get help.

It took him nearly twenty minutes to find someone who'd let him borrow a phone. Several people had slammed the door as soon as they saw his battered face and the blood on his clothes, muttering something about not wanting to get involved. Neji ran back to his friends as soon as he'd placed the call, only to find…

Anko had died waiting for Neji to get help. And Kyu had never been the same because he'd been helpless to do anything other than hold her as she bled out. Konnie had passed out because of the pain and so Kyu had ended up being alone towards the end.

Kankuro's arm was broken in two places and a kidney had been ruptured. Neji had suffered a concussion along with several cracked and bruised ribs. Kyuubi was the only one to fare better, getting away with only some minor bruises and cuts. Of course, those were only physical injuries; his mental scars went much deeper and had never healed.

*** J ***

One night about a year ago, Neji's friend had gotten royally drunk, the first and only time, and told Neji that he'd wished it had been him that'd died. Fighting to remain calm, Neji had held Kyu while the man had broken down and cried. It was probably the only time since that tragic night. Kyu had never touched another drop of alcohol since.

Pulling out of his recollection, Neji glanced around. His friends were now browsing the candy rack.

"So, how is Naruto taking all of this?" He asked looking over the stock for a piece of chocolate that sounded good. Then decided against it and picked up a Big Hunk with a smirk at the irony.

"Just as expected, he's as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs but he's also excited and has been rushing around the house bouncing off walls and driving anyone insane who stands still long enough," the red head commented with an indulgent smile.

While Kankuro slipped away to the restroom, the other two went to pay.

"Hey, Sakura, would you please put this on my charge?" Kyu asked the pink-haired girl standing at the register filing her nails.

The girl looked up with a frown. "Don't you mean Naruto's charge, since he's the one who ends up paying for it?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Kyu said with an indulgent wave of his hand.

"You know, it should be the older brother who's responsible for the younger," Sakura groused not moving to do the guy's bidding. Kyu looked down his nose at the girl a scowl pulling his lips down.

"He's the angel and I'm the demon, I get it already."

"You know, one of these days—."

"It all comes from the same place. Why does it matter who pays the bill as long as the bill gets paid?" Kyuubi asked angrily, interrupting the lecture. His tolerance for the interfering girl was at its end.

Sakura knew that she'd over-stepped her bounds and quickly rang up the tab. Punching a few more buttons to make a charge slip slide smoothly from the receipt machine, she jerked it off and handed it to the man. Kyuubi signed the slip and turned away, dismissing the girl.

A muffled shout sounded from the direction of the bathroom and the two friends darted towards it. Surprisingly, a couple of Uchiha appeared from another isle. The four men reached the door and the same time, though one of the Uchiha's was a second faster and pulled the door open.

Kankuro had another Uchiha pushed up against the wall with his arm twisted behind him and shoved up to his shoulder blades.

"Touch me again, Uchiha," he spat the name out like it tasted bad, "and I will break your arm."

A smirk appeared on the lips of the man up against the wall. "But you looked like you needed some help. I was just trying to be a good citizen." It held a hint of a whine, but not from the pain in his arm, more than likely he was trying to anger Kankuro just to see how he would react.

Kyuubi stepped forward quickly, wanting to smooth the situation out before it got worse.

"Konnie, just relax and let him go," he muttered lowly hoping that his calm would transfer over to his friend. "He's just trying to get you to react badly so that he can get you in trouble for assault."

Itachi frowned at that. "Now, hold on. Shi isn't that kind of—."

"Shut it!" Kyuubi snapped. "You opinion doesn't matter. Uchiha aren't trust-worthy and they always try and manipulate the situation to their advantage." He glanced in the man's direction and tried not to be drawn into his pretty looks. Long black hair was pulled loosely back into a pony tail, a few locks swinging around the man's face, emphasizing the dark eyes and framing the pale face. Forcing his attention back to his friend, he stepped up to the man and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Kankuro." Konnie took a deep breath and stepped back, releasing the man. Then the two friends moved away allowing the first Uchiha to take his place next to the long-haired Uchiha. The other guy was hidden behind a mask but they could see the dark eyes glittering through the eye holes.

"Shi, apologize," Itachi ordered curtly.

A dark slash of an eye brow rose at the order but he didn't argue. "I apologize, man." Shisui stepped forward with a hand upraised. "No hard feelings?"

Kankuro sneered at the hand then looked into the Uchiha's face. His jaw hardened. "The only reason I won't kill you now is because—." Kyuubi's hand on his shoulder again cut him off. He didn't need to tell these people that it was an Uchiha that stayed their hand.

Kankuro remembered standing next to Anko's grave, arm in a sling, watching as the first shovel full of dirt hit the coffin lying in the bottom of the hole. Tears slid down his face unchecked as the three watched as the grave was slowly filled. A shadow drew up next to them and they looked up a bit surprised to find that the rest of the mourners had left. A man was standing next to them.

Dark hair spiked our in different direction, as if he'd run his hand through it several times. The pale perfect features of an Uchiha were clearly recognizable by them all. He knelt and placed a single white rose next to the rest of the flowers. It should have been lost amongst the more elaborate creations but it seemed to stand out instead. A red ribbon was tied around it.

Kankuro was startled to see tears in the man's eyes as he stood back up.

"I'm sorry," he said simply before turning away.

"Wait!" Kyuubi called out raising a hand as if to stop him. The man paused and waited.

"Who are you?"

To Kankuro it didn't make sense that Kyuubi wanted to know who he was. He was an Uchiha that was all that mattered. The three should have been angry that an Uchiha had dared to desecrate this sacred ground. They should be raging at him, punching him, getting revenge. But none of them made a move, they were done with violence, they had lost too much to want to do anything that would bring it back.

"Obito Uchiha." They stood in silence as the man walked away.

"It doesn't make this better," Neji spoke slowly, quietly, "but I feel…glad somehow, like Anko is smiling." The other three nodded.

*** R ***

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the cut off remark. He wanted to snort at the way these three men thought that they could actually harm an Uchiha. His eyes were drawn to the red haired man standing next to his friend with a hand on his shoulder.

"Namikaze," he said shortly in acknowledgement.

"Uchiha."

Itachi nearly shuddered at the husky voice that seemed to roll over him like a warm hand drifting over a lover. He licked his lips and watched in satisfaction as the blue eyes narrowed on it following the movement. He stepped forward and saw the nostrils flare as they caught his scent.

"Thank you for stopping your friend from breaking my cousin's arm. I apologize for his lack of decorum. I don't know which Uchiha you've met before, but Shi doesn't really think with his head, or at least the one attached to his shoulders."

"Hmph, so you're suggesting that he was thinking with his cock instead? I don't see how that makes this situation any better." The red head's lips thinned but his eyes slid to his friend as if to gauge his reaction to this news.

Kankuro's gazed widened slightly and he actually looked the older Uchiha over. Kyuubi could see what appeared to be approval in his eyes at the looks of the Uchiha. He nearly smirked when Konnie's breathing seemed to quicken and a flush came to the tanned cheeks. He didn't know what had actually happened before they had arrived at the door of the rest room and he didn't want to know, but Konnie was reacting to it in an alarming fashion.

"Anko," Kyuubi said in a whisper that only reached Konnie's ears and the man paled and his eyes hardened. With a snarl of rage, Konnie brushed past the Uchiha and out the door. Kyuubi and Neji followed without giving the rest of the Uchiha another glance.

Itachi watched them go and wondered what Namikaze had said to bring about such a rapid change in Shi's victim. He'd gone from lustful to livid in less than a second.

"Shi, I don't doubt that to you the man is cute, but he's Namikaze's friend—an enemy," Tobi said in an abnormally rational tone. "He'd rather kick your ass, not fuck it."

"Yeah, but I'm sure that I can get him to change his mind," Shi chortled. "Besides you didn't see what he's packin'."

"I don't want to hear it," Itachi bit out. No, he did not want to hear about anyone else's endowments other than the red-head's. "Let's get home. I have a party to attend."

The other two gave Itachi a confused look but didn't say anything more as they paid for their purchases and left the store.

* * *

**A/N: I have a BETA!!!! Thanks to the generous and kind heart of K.R. Ukido...I can now bring you stories that are Beta'd! So hopefully the stories will star to improve! Just a little reminder this is a SasuNaru fiction and therefore I won't be doing in SuiKon or ItaKyu scenes or reverses of those parings...unless you beg sweetly with cyber cookies! Then maybe...**


	2. Act Two

**Sasuke and Naruto**

_Act Two: Enter Sasuke Stage Left_

_By Zenerific1_

_(Beta'd by K.R. Ukido)_

"And then he just stared at the girl as if he didn't know her!" Suigetsu said laughing as he swung an arm around his companion. His carefully filed teeth flashing sharply in the air as he flung his head back in hilarity. His mop of silver-blond hair, shining in the hot sun, trembled under the mirth. Perspiration slid slowly down his brow and he wiped it away without any irritation.

The two were sitting on a park style bench far enough away from the main beach goers so that they could have privacy as they talked. Suigetsu was relaying a story to his friend about what had happened the night before.

"I really can't believe that Karin would do such a thing and in a public place no less," Juugo stated solemnly. But he could believe it. He'd been around Karin enough to know that the woman schemed something fierce when it came to trying to get into Sasuke Uchiha's bed. She'd even go so far as to sneaking into it when he was injured and unconscious. Juugo knew because he'd caught her at it a month ago when Sasuke had broken his leg during a soccer tournament.

The whole team had gathered at the hospital to find out what had happened. The surgeon on staff that night had calmly told them that Sasuke's fibula bone broken. He'd then gone on to give a long explanation that the bone wasn't really that important, just a bone that the muscles were attached to. To Juugo, it sounded very important. But he wasn't going to argue with the expert.

"Let's forget about it, Suigetsu," a cold voice spoke from a short distance away. The tone clearly indicated that the speaker wasn't at all thrilled with Suigetsu's story.

"But Sasuke, she was practically sitting in your lap naked!" Suigetsu chortled.

An eyebrow rose, stating clearly that if Suigetsu continued with the story, he would be speaking in a soprano for a long while. Suigetsu missed the look entirely.

"Truly Juugo, she…" A choked gurgle emitted from Suigetsu as Sasuke's hand closed around his throat and he was slammed back into the bench, which tilted and spilled the two onto the ground, Juugo escaping the bench before it tipped. Juugo made a move to stop Sasuke but froze when Sasuke threw him a killing look before turning his attention back to the man he was choking in his grasp.

Obsidian pools glared down at the pale man who was rapidly become paler. More gurgles and some waving hands followed by Suigetsu clutching at Sasuke's arm trying to pull the hand away as he slowly turned an interesting shade of blue. Sasuke relinquished his grip and stepped away from his friend who rolled over and coughed clutching at his abused throat.

"Okay, Sasuke," he gasped. "I won't say another word." Sasuke reached down and helped the young man to his feet. After all the years that they had spent together, Sasuke would have thought that Suigetsu would have learned not to push the subject when it came to embarrassing incidents.

Karin's little scene was just one among many that the woman had instigated in the last few months. She was growing bolder in her pursuit of Sasuke. This time she'd shown up at a dinner that his father was hosting for some clients claiming that she didn't know that Sasuke was going to be there. Not that he'd believed a word of it. His father had been _kind_ enough to invite her to join them, much to Sasuke's irritation.

She'd been wearing a long trench coat at the time and Sasuke should have known that that was suspicious in the first place. Karin had dramatically flung the coat off revealing a skimpy mini skirt that had barely covered anything and a tight halter that bared more skin than it covered. She'd then shuffled her way to Sasuke's side sitting in the empty seat that had quickly been provided for her. The old man next to Sasuke hadn't minded one bit that she had displaced him causing the whole table to shift. He'd gotten more than an eye-ful along with the rest of the table. Sasuke had seen the disapproval on his father's face at the girl's brazen actions and her attire. And when she leaned forward even a fraction of an inch Sasuke was treated to a peek show and so was the old leech sitting next to him. The best part of the dinner had been watching that old man leer and flirt with Karin outrageously.

The only reason that Suigetsu knew about the event was because he'd been there sitting across the table with his brother, Kisame—an acquaintance of Itachi's. In fact, Itachi was supposed to have gone to the dinner, but had to back out because of a last minute emergency at the company. It had happened on more than one occasion, Itachi's disappearance, leaving Sasuke to fill in.

"So whaddaya think Itachi wants?" Suigetsu asked changing the subject and drawing him back to the present.

"I don't know, but he seemed to think that it was urgent and he didn't want Mom or Dad to catch wind of it so that's why he asked us to meet him here." Sasuke gestured towards the sandy beach that they were currently on. This part of the beach had small boulders and rocks strung across it—the reason why people didn't linger on this section. They preferred the smoother, softer sandy sections where they could lay out on their towels without fear of a rock poking them in the back.

"When he was talking to you over the speaker phone, he sounded…happy. Which is scary for him. I mean Itachi isn't happy unless someone else is going to suffer. So I wonder who is going to suffer or has already suffered."

"Sui, you are beginning to babble." Sasuke said. But he completely agreed with Sui's sentiments. Itachi did sound amused and he only did that when as Sui said, 'someone was going to suffer.' And it made Sasuke very uncomfortable because he had a suspicion that it would be him that suffered.

He turned back to watch the surf and the dedicated men and woman who pitted their lives against nature for a chance at that perfect wave. He wasn't envious of them. In fact, he thought that they were complete imbeciles for risking their lives in such a fashion. He didn't get the adrenaline freaks that needed a rush to feel alive. He was more than completely satisfied whenever he brokered a deal that he and his family came out on top of. Walking away with a cool billion was much better than bartering his life on a whim.

"Foolish, little brother."

Sasuke jumped at the smooth voice that was just behind him. Frowning he turned, more than annoyed with himself for letting Itachi sneak up on him. He should have been paying more attention. As it was this put him in a stubborn mood and whatever Itachi wanted he would have to work for.

"What is it, nii-san?" he asked, making sure to keep his tone even and not to show how irritated he was.

Itachi smirked. "Sorry to startle you."

Sasuke just raised his chin and waited for Itachi to continue.

Itachi cocked his head to the side as he studied Sasuke. Since he'd turned twelve, Sasuke had ceased to look up to him and in turn had started hating him. Itachi was saddened by this because he'd always wanted what was best for his little brother. Whenever he made a proposition to his father to allow Sasuke to broker a deal, it was because he was trying to make their father see just how good Sasuke really was in the business. Any engagement that he backed out of and in turn made Sasuke go to was to further his advancement in the company.

Itachi had seen the way Sasuke had wanted their father's attention and praise when he was younger, but when he'd turned twelve, Sasuke had stopped seeking that attention. He'd attended classes that had nothing to do with business and were considered frivolous by their father and great uncle, Madara. But when Sasuke had graduated early at the top of his class and was deciding on which university to go to, Fugaku had stepped in and manipulated his scholarship in such a way that Sasuke had been forced to take the classes that their father approved of.

When Sasuke had thought that he could get around that by paying for the classes outright, their father had frozen his accounts. It had been a battle of will power on both their parts, but Sasuke had eventually, and reluctantly, agreed to take the business courses that their father wanted him to take. It retaliation he'd moved out of the house and compound and was residing in an apartment that was midway between the offices and the university. And he refused to come home for family dinners.

It might not seem like much but their mother had been devastated. She'd taken Fugaku into his study and when he'd come back out he'd been a shadow of his former self. From what Itachi had gathered, she'd demanded that Fugaku fix it. He'd refused and they were now sharing separate quarters until Sasuke was back under her roof.

"I had a very interesting morning," Itachi said then grew silent waiting for Sasuke's natural curiosity to get the better of him. It did in short order.

"So."

Itachi smiled. No one but an Uchiha would have seen it but there was an incremental uplift of the corners of his mouth. Sasuke saw it and knew that he'd amused his brother somehow.

"Guess who I met this morning." It wasn't a question.

"From the glee that you are dripping all over the place I would have to say the devil."

"Hn." Itachi's smile grew. Again you had to be an Uchiha to notice. "No, but I have dinner reservations with him next week."

Sasuke was horrified. Itachi had just cracked a joke. "Then perhaps it was God."

"Again you would be wrong, for I don't think that an Uchiha has ever met the man."

It was getting scarier and scarier.

"Itachi, I'm not about to dig out the phone book and start going through it, just spit it out already."

A gleam entered Itachi's eyes because he was truly enjoying himself. "This morning when Tobi, Shisui, and I went into a random corner market. I had the pleasure of meeting…" He paused for dramatic effect took a breath and let it out slowly.

"God, damn it, Itachi just say it already," Suigetsu yelled, startling both brothers who turned to glare at the man. Suigetsu immediately backed away with his hand up, perfectly cowed under the twin Uchiha glares. One did not cross those glares lightly, especially Itachi's.

"Well, since your friend insists on interrupting and ruining a wonderfully, dramatic moment. I met Kyuubi Namikaze today," Itachi finally confessed.

"The hell you say!" Sasuke turned to stare at Itachi. Oh, some of the Uchiha claimed that they'd had run-ins with the man but he'd never believed it. The Namikaze stuck to themselves. Their house was surrounded by guards day and night and when one went out a contingent of people followed. "Met as in face to face meeting or you just saw him from afar."

"I met him face to face and even spoke to him. If you need further confirmation you can talk to Tobi and Shisui. In fact Shisui tried to molest one of Kyuubi's friends in the bathroom, which is why I was able to meet him in the first place." Itachi sounded more than a little intrigued.

"And how many people blocked your path?"

"None, it was just him and two of his friends. Just like it was just me, Shisui, and Tobi."

"And the best part of the news is yet to come. You and I are going to be attending a party being held in honor of Kyuubi's younger brother."

"And how did you arrange all of this? I can't imagine Kyuubi extending the invitation." Sasuke snorted in disbelief.

"Well, no, I got the impression that he was more than willing to tear my head from my shoulders. But I did hear that the party was being held tonight. And you and I are going."

"Go right ahead. I will not be attending, thank you very much, nor will I be attending your funeral." Sasuke said with a wave of his hand. He turned away only to be stopped when Itachi draped an arm around his shoulders.

"It would behoove you more to indulge me in this little venture." Itachi said in his most calm voice, meaning that Sasuke _would_ be attending in a straight jacket if necessary.

"And just how are we to get into this party, Itachi? In case you haven't guessed, we aren't obscure members of society, we are well known Uchiha." Sasuke reminded him.

"Ah, I have it all planned," he chortled then drew a newspaper from his back pocket. Sasuke wasn't surprised to see that it was turned to the lifestyle section. Itachi flicked it open and pointed to the bold caption, **Masquerade Ball to be held at Namikaze Manor.**

Sasuke knew that he didn't have any choice. If he didn't go, Itachi would brand him a coward, and never let him live it down. But at the same time he felt as if fate had stepped in and taken control of his life. And it never ended well when Fate had a say in things.

*** R ***

Rounding the side of the abandoned church, Sasuke made his way through the overgrown rose brambles to the thick wooden door of the care-taker. He knocked loudly on the door then waited for it to be opened. He shifted from one foot to the other. He'd been in such a state since Itachi had shown him the paper. It wasn't a pleasant feeling for Sasuke, and usually seemed to happen whenever he was about to make a life-changing decision.

Sasuke heard the many locks being thrown open and then an inch of light appeared before a pale blue eye stared out at him.

"Who is it?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. It was the same every time, even though the man could see him perfectly he had to ask who it was.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"How do I know it's you?"

"Because you taught me how to use your signature move, Chidori, when I was twelve." He said referring to a martial arts move that the man himself had invented.

"Oh, that's right. Sasuke! How are you?" Before Sasuke could answer the door was shut in his face and several more locks were being removed. Then the door swung open to reveal a tall thin scarecrow of a man whose odd grey hair stood on end and off to the side in gravity defying disarray. A handsome face grinned at him that was only marred into ruggedness due to a scar that bisected his right eye. He hadn't lost the eye but the color had changed due to the blood that had run into it from the injury. Now it was a permanent red. To those who met Kakashi Hatake for the first time, it was more than a little disconcerting to be pierced with that icy-red gaze.

"More than healthy and less than perfect," Sasuke said as he brushed past Kakashi and into the small home. It was cluttered with books and paper piled randomly everywhere. The books were smut and porn, an obsession of Kakashi's. Newspapers and reports were scattered throughout the small space. Kakashi wasn't home a lot and didn't see the sense in throwing out things that as he says he hasn't read yet. Though the books he's read more than once.

Kakashi thought that it was going to be a day where he would need the extra fortification of his specialties, concoctions that he'd experimented with and found out could help him with aches and pains, or other medicinal problems. He loved his forbidden little garden out back.

"Ah, indecisive as always." Kakashi moved from the door and into the area that would be a kitchen if it wasn't for the fact that the place didn't have any walls. He opened a cupboard and took down two mugs then moved to a coffee pot full of hot water and poured some into both. Then he added some of his specially blended tea—for stress—into the water. He handed Sasuke his without adding anything then proceeded to douse his liberally with sugar and real cream. Sasuke watched with disgust as the man sipped at the brew and sighed as if he were in heaven.

"When are you going to have some tea with your cream, Sensei?" Sasuke asked, using a respectful address. This caught Kakashi's attention instantly and he set down the cup going from whatever he'd been before to serious instantly.

"What is wrong, Sasuke?" Kakashi studied the boy and noticed the restless movements even as he stood still. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and fidgeted with the cup without drinking from it. And his eyes wandered around the room never pausing on anything. "What has your father done now?"

The last time Sasuke had been like this was because his father had frozen his accounts in order to force his young son to take the business classes he'd specified for Sasuke's education. Sasuke had spent a lot of time over at Kakashi's trying to figure out how to get around his father. But for every move Sasuke made in the opposite direction, Fugaku had stepped in, blocking grants, scholarships, and funding for Sasuke to pursue a career other than business. In the end, Sasuke had agreed to take the classes but he had also taken other classes, which he soon dropped because he liked the business ones more. Much to Sasuke's chagrin. Kakashi had listened to the young man throughout the whole ordeal as he'd vented his frustrations and finally figured out what _Sasuke_ wanted to do in life. Eventually, he'd even come around so far as to begin working in his father's company as long as he didn't have to deal directly with the man.

But lately, he'd been put in more and more situations where he had to talk to his father and gain advice or information on a particular client. But Kakashi didn't harbor any notions that the new shift in attention was going to be accomplished smoothly. He was just biding his time until Sasuke needed a show of support. And Kakashi thought that it would happen sooner than later.

He'd been Sasuke's martial arts instructor since the boy was ten until he'd graduated from high school. He'd seen Sasuke on more than one occasion during a battle of wills with his father and he'd seen the increasing frustration as Sasuke tried to break out of the mold that Fugaku had placed his son in.

"It's not him." Sasuke said with a sigh. He leaned down and picked up a stack of papers that were piled in a shabby armchair and set them aside. He replaced the papers and cupped the mug in his hands as if trying to warm them from the heat of the tea infused water. "It's Itachi. He has gotten it into his head that he's going to attend the Namikaze's Ball tonight. And he wants me to go with him."

"Oh, really? And you feel like you're going to your doom?"

"Something like that. It's a suicide mission if you ask me. As soon as they find out who we are, there's going to be a riot."

"Have you ever thought that maybe Namikaze won't try and kill you on sight? Perhaps he and his family are just as tired of all the violence between your two families as you and Itachi seem to be?"

"Maybe, Itachi didn't seem to have suffered much at the hand of Kyuubi when they met this morning."

"Oh ho! Itachi met Kyuubi this morning and they're both still alive?"

"Yeah, I guess, so maybe an Uchiha and a Namikaze can meet on the street and not have to find out whose balls are bigger by trying to kill each other. But for an Uchiha to crash a party held at their home no less? I don't think that Namikaze will just allow us to waltz in and out of his home like that."

"Maybe, maybe not, but just think of the possibilities. If you could talk to Namikaze and get him to agree to a truce then maybe the fights will cease. I know that Obito would support you as would several of the branch families, ones that are affected just as much if not more than the main family by the fights. They are the ones that are usually caught in the crossfire with the Namikaze supporters and the Uchiha."

Obito had tried on several occasions to get Madara to get his family and men under control, but the head of the family refused to listen and now he refused to even talk with anyone who was not Fugaku.

"It would take a miracle and for some reason, I can't see this being that miracle."

"Maybe fate has different plans for you."

"Fate is a bitch from hell."

"So did Itachi tell you what Kyuubi is like?" Kakashi said changing the subject abruptly.

"What? No, and I didn't ask. I was more concerned with figuring out how to convince him that he'd gone utterly insane and how I could keep myself from following in his path."

"Hm, the insane ones always have the most fun."

"Until they are locked inside an institution."

"But from what I hear that is a trip all by itself."

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't suppose you have one of the miracle cures of yours, say for insanity, or just something that will make it so that I don't have to attend?"

"Nope, I just have a little concoction that simulates death. Of course, if the antidote isn't given in time, it will actually render one dead."

"Hn."

*** J ***

"I'm done," the red head said as he stepped away. Pein, no last name, reached out to tug at one of the cloaks folds so that it settled into place properly before turning to Itachi. "Well?"

Itachi strolled around Sasuke studying him from every angle. His hand held up to cup his chin while the other braced it in a folded position. Sasuke waited impatiently for the verdict. He heard Itachi hum slightly as he stepped out of sight once more.

"Well, Mom wouldn't recognize him, though Dad might just because of that glare. But the results are very satisfactory. Even the contacts that make his eyes red are perfect!" Itachi approved.

Sasuke ran a tooth over the extension that had been glued over his canine, testing its hold. It had taken nearly three hours to get dressed and he was more than ready to call the whole thing off. If it wasn't for the fact that he just knew that Itachi was going to get his rear handed to him on a silver platter, Sasuke would have. His hair had been gelled so that it was slicked back to lie flat. His skin was now powdered and painted until his cheeks looked sunken but he still retained his handsomeness. He was dressed in black and red silk, his brother not wanting to skimp even though it was a one-time only event. Black silk shirt was covered by a red vest with a thick black velvet cape thrown over it with stiff collar to increase the dramatic effect. A red silk scarf had been tied artfully around his neck and a black onyx pin held it in place. A ruby earring had been inserted into the hole in his ear lobe—another rebellious impulse to prove that Sasuke could make his own decisions, one that he'd eventually grown out of because he no longer wore the earring. Black gloves covered Sasuke hands and another ruby shone from the ring finger of his right hand. Sasuke didn't ask where the jewelry had come from because he just didn't want to know. If it wasn't his mother's, then he wasn't going to speculate where Itachi had gotten it because he didn't want to know if Itachi regularly dressed up.

When he looked into the mirror after all approval was done, Sasuke had to admit that Pein certainly knew his job. Pein was a makeup artist at a nearby movie studio. Itachi knew him because they had gone to school together. And when this opportunity had presented itself, Itachi had given him a call. Never one to turn down a chance to show off his skill, Pein had agreed to help. The fangs completed the outfit and looked very real, sealing Pein's genius when it came to turning make believe into reality.

Itachi's outfit was more elaborate. In fact Sasuke avoided looking at his brother altogether and hoped that he wouldn't be associated with the guy once they reached the party.

Long dark hair was twisted into a bun and secured with two long ivory needles. An arrangement of sakura flowers graced the top of the bun and the tiny blossoms were scattered through the rest of his hair. His face was painted just as white as Sasuke's but without the sunken appearance. Instead his eyes were kholed and blue eye shadow had been added. A black beauty mark had been painted next to a moue of deep red lips. He was dressed in a traditional Japanese Kimono with a wide Obi tied around his waist the bow to the back. He carried a small silk fan that dangled from a manicured hand, with fingernails painted red. And he moved as if being dressed as a Geisha was an everyday thing. The outfit was completed with traditional white stockings and wooden sandals.

"So let's go over this again. I'll get us in so you don't have to worry about that. But if one of us gets into trouble or is caught we need to be able to get out quickly and warn the other at the same time. So, set your cell phone to vibrate and program my number as one. This way all you need to do is press one and it will call my phone instantly. I'll do the same. If I call and if you can answer then do so, if not then we will meet at the _natto_ shop that is a block from the Namikaze residence."

Sasuke's lip twisted into a sneer as he thought about his least favorite food. Trust Itachi to think about something like that for a meeting place.

"So what do you do if you get into trouble?" Itachi asked in his most parental voice.

"Hn." Sasuke raised an eye brow at Itachi, ignoring the one-year-old treatment.

"Good. And where do we meet?" The cajoling tone continued.

"Hn."

"That's right and if you are a good boy then I will treat you to some of the nummy _natto_!"

Sasuke wondered where Itachi had come from, because it certainly hadn't been from any Uchiha that he'd ever known. His parents must have adopted without anyone knowing about it.

"Well, the party is about to start so we had better be going," Itachi said enthusiastically clutching Sasuke's arm and simpering almost perfectly.

"Will you quite being so OOC? You're beginning to scare me, and if that happens, I won't be going with you." Sasuke snarled, yanking his arm out of his brother's hands.

"Hn."

"Better."

"You are such a deeply guarded man, Sasuke." Itachi said coolly. "I'm sooo glad that I have such a wonderful escort for the evening."

"Hey, Sasuke!"

Sasuke blinked as Suigetsu and Juugo came into the room. Suigetsu was dressed as a half piranha and half man while Juugo seemed to be going for a mutated Rhino.

"No."

"Ah come on! It's not that often that we get to go to parties and besides we can run interference if something happens."

Juugo remained quiet waiting to see what the outcome of the argument would be.

"That's a great idea!" Itachi intervened.

Sasuke dropped his head into his hand, just knowing that tonight was going to be a disaster of Biblical proportions.


	3. Act Three

_Act Three:_

_by Zenerific1_

_Beta'd by K.R. Ukido  
_

"Naruto!"

Echoing through the house, the yell bounced off walls and filtered down to the study where Minato was holding a telephone conference. He glanced up with a raised eyebrow and quickly concluded the meeting, knowing that chaos was about to encompass the entire house. Whenever that voice was used it never failed to disrupt everything.

To put it gently, Minato's youngest son, Naruto, was hyperactive with a wide mischievous streak. His number one victim was Iruka Umino, his nanny. From gluing the man to his seat at dinner to putting talcum powder in the man's hair dryer—causing him to be covered with the powder and the dryer to short circuit—Naruto had begun a lifetime mission to push Iruka to his limits.

Within five minutes of the shout, the door to the study opened and Minato was hard pressed to keep his face straight and serious. The sight was nothing short of brilliant, in his opinion. He did end up covering his mouth with his hand to keep his twitching lips from being seen.

"Have you seen your son?" a wet, blue Iruka asked, storming into the study.

"No. Um, how much…?" Minato began motioning towards him with the hand not covering his quivering lips. Swallowing rapidly, he took a couple of deep breaths to try and regain control of himself.

"My whole body." Minato could see the anger flashing like fire in Iruka's eyes and had to try even harder to suppress his hilarity.

"Ah." Minato nodded.

"I can't seem to find him anywhere," Iruka groused, pushing his hand through strands of hair that used to be brown. "I swear that Naruto is like a little fox during the hunt, elusive when you want to find him but springing up at the most in opportune moments. It reminds me of his grandfather, Jiraiya."

Minato agreed. Naruto was a lot like Jiraiya, just without the peeping Tom gene, thank the gods. He called it research, because he was a romance writer and he needed to know what the human figure looked like in different forms. When not doing his research, Jiraiya disappeared for months on end only to show up when things were about to hit the fan, so to speak. Though the man was a pervert, he was also a very solid support to the family.

Naruto had a good head on his shoulders but he was still very naïve and young. Tonight, Minato was going to announce that Naruto would be taking over the gaming department of his company. Not only was it filled with young minds geared to make the next Halo, but it was a more relaxed atmosphere. The diversity of the games and their creators should be enough to keep his hyperactive son occupied and interested.

But the party, Minato hoped the party would serve two purposes. He wanted to announce that Naruto would be his heir, but he also wanted the boy to meet people. He'd invited several of his partners who had children Naruto's age and asked that they attend with their families. It was the safest environment that Minato could think of and control.

He was extremely protective of his sons, and since Anko's death, he knew just how quickly one of those lives most precious to him could be extinguished. He was terrified of losing any of his children.

Since the incident, he'd upped the security around his house. If he'd been able to he'd have put guards on both of his sons and wrapped them in bubble wrap and Kevlar. In fact he'd done just that after Anko's funeral. Kyuubi had tolerated his guard for three days and then he's launched a campaign to make the man's life as miserable as possible.

The guard had been terrified of snakes and Kyuubi found the biggest, ugliest snake he could and slipped it into the man's tub while he was showering. When they went out, Kyuubi would shake the guy off, losing him in stores and crowds. Pedophilic porn was down loaded into the man's private computer, though Minato hadn't known it wasn't the guard's at the time and had fired him. Every time a new guard was hired, Kyuubi came up with the most creative and efficient schemes to get them to quit or be fired.

Then when he'd turned eighteen, he confronted Minato, giving him an ultimatum. Either Minato got rid of the guards, or Kyuubi would move to the other side of the Earth and never speak to Minato again. What father could possibly deny his son his freedom when given those choices?

Naruto, on the other hand, had wrapped the guards around his little finger, until they would do anything he asked of them. And what good is a guard when he trotted off to get his youngest son a bowl of ramen when the mood struck him. Then Iruka had come along. Not only did he not fall for his son's bright, innocent eyes, but he was also ex-military. He not only became Naruto's guard, but also his caretaker as well.

"How am I supposed to attend the party looking like this?" Iruka muttered, pulling Minato from his thoughts.

Taking in the light blue dye coating the man's skin, Minato grinned, unable to help himself. "You could dress up like a dolphin."

All expression was wiped from Iruka's face as he stared at Minato. "Funny," the remark was laced with heavy sarcasm.

Iruka turned on his heel and left to continue his search for Naruto. The door closed with a soft click and Minato bent double in his chair, overcome with laughter.

"I heard that," filtered through the door in Iruka's wake. "Honestly how am I supposed to keep Naruto in line…" Iruka's voice trailed off as he moved down the hall. Minato was sure that Iruka was muttering about the terrible influence his father was on the boy.

Soft giggles came from the small closet to Minato's left. The door opened and a moment later a sunny blond head appeared.

"Is the coast clear?" a slightly husky voice asked.

Minato nodded, unable to do more because he was still overcome with chuckles.

Opening the door wider, Naruto stepped out into full view. His five foot ten frame was slender, deceptively hiding the strength that was built into his body. The oversized clothing, Minato knew, hid ropes of sinewy muscle. His son wasn't bulky but he could take on someone twice his size and win.

"Dad, that was classic! I can't believe you told Iruka-sensei to go to the party as a dolphin!" Naruto giggled clutching his sides. "Oh man, I thought he was going to start breathing fire there for a moment!" Unable to stand upright, the young man collapsed to the floor rolling into a ball, tears streaming from sparkling blue eyes.

Finally, the two regained control of themselves, Minato straightening in his chair. Naruto crawled to the sofa and pulled himself onto it, still weak.

"Naruto," Minato began, taking a deep breath, "you know that you shouldn't be pulling such pranks on Iruka anymore. You're nearly grown and you're going to be taking control of the company before long."

Sighing at the incoming lecture, Naruto nodded. It was something that he'd heard more and more of.

"You're eighteen, and you'll be attending the university this upcoming fall. It's time to set aside these childish pranks and start thinking about your future." Minato watched as Naruto's eyes glazed over and he hummed a response. _Well, at least he isn't rolling his eyes like Kyuubi,_ Minato thought to himself. "Iruka is going to be around for a while to come yet, so showing him some respect wouldn't be too much for me to ask, would it, Naruto?"

"No sir," Naruto muttered.

"So no more pranks?"

"No more pranks."

"No more getting into mischief?"

"No more mischief."

"No more sneaking girls in the back door?"

"No more g—Hey!" Naruto looked up his eyes widening as Minato doubled over once more. Just the indignant look on Naruto's face was enough to send the adult into peels of fresh laughter.

Naruto puffed out his bottom lip and turned his head to the side, folding his arms across his chest. "Seriously, Dad, you're supposed to be the example!"

Minato just waved his hand in response to the pout.

*** J ***

Iruka was muttering under his breath as he tugged at the tie once more, trying to get the knots to lie flat. He shifted to the back of his wardrobe and, looking in the mirror, fiddled with the tie once more.

"I—Iruka-sensei…you're…choking me," Naruto gasped as the tie was tightened.

"I ought to choke you," muttered the blue man once more smoothing out the cloth so that it laid flat with his thumb. "This is the worst possible time that you could have pulled such a prank! Don't you realize how important tonight is?"

Naruto's eyes met the dark brown ones in the mirror and a twinge of remorse drifted through him. Iruka's blue skin was lighter now because of the scrubbing he'd done in the second shower, but it was still a noticeable blue. His hair was dark, with streaks of light blue highlighting its color. Iruka was wearing a black tux just as he was but he'd fashioned a fin at his back. Lying of the bed were their masks. Naruto's was a red fox mask with wide slits for eyes and Iruka's was a white, dolphin mask with thin slits for his eyes. Where Naruto's was undecorated, Iruka's was decorated with two wavy, blue lines on his cheeks.

Iruka gave up on the tie, deeming it was satisfactory, before he moved to take the red bushy tail from the bed and pin it to Naruto's backside. Naruto yelped when the pin pricked his skin. He sensed more than saw the gleam in Iruka's eyes and Naruto knew that the prick was deliberate. With a few more yelps the tail was dangling from under Naruto's coat tail.

Iruka stood back to survey his work.

"So what do you think," Naruto asked anxiously turning this way and that to try and see the whole effect.

"I think you're lucky that I don't strangle you," muttered Iruka as he folded his arms tightly across his chest trying not to give into temptation. But it was a miracle in itself that he didn't wrap his hands around the boy's throat.

"Aw, Iruka-sensei, don't be like that," the boy cried turning and giving Iruka the full benefit of his wide, innocent eyes. However, the sparkle of mischief ruined the whole effect. And besides, Iruka had been around the boy way too long for that tactic to work. It might have in the beginning when Iruka didn't know any better. He still saw it work on most of the staff, who letting the child get away with almost everything. Even Naruto's father wasn't unaffected. The proof being that he'd found out that Naruto had been hiding in his father's closet the whole time Iruka had been looking for him.

The lecture he'd given to both of them would have done any mother proud if Iruka had thought for one minute that either parent or son had been listening to him.

"Naruto…" Iruka began to give his speech but was interrupted.

"I know, Iruka-sensei. I'm the heir and I need to start conducting myself like the heir," Naruto sighed turning from the mirror and walking towards the bed.

Iruka frowned, studying Naruto's tense figure. Gone was the prankster, and in his place was a serious young man. Iruka could see an image of what the boy was going to become and for some reason he felt saddened by the fact. Being the head, or even the potential, head of a company like Minato's was a hard life. The innocent, naivety that exuded from Naruto at times would have to be replaced by the hard, determined businessman if the company continued to succeed. It was this part that Iruka mourned for. Those blue eyes would become hard shards of ice and cynicism would replace the laughter.

Iruka could understand why Minato wanted to groom his youngest son to take over most of the company. The boy had a way with people. It was an unconscious empathy and most responded to it, wanting to give the boy all the attention that he hadn't had before he'd become a part of this household at twelve. If fact, the staff came to him when they needed help with anything knowing that Naruto would do everything in his power to provide any assistance he could. From calling repairmen to comforting the grieving cook, Iruka had seen the young man take on many responsibilities. Sometime those responsibilities would call out more that the boy had to give and Iruka would find him exhausted and sleeping in closets, out on the lawn, or under a table somewhere. Iruka would just shake his head and then carry the boy to his room.

The first time Naruto had exhausted himself to the point that he'd passed out was during a fire several years ago. He hadn't been much older than thirteen. One of the staff's houses had caught fire while they'd been at work. They'd gotten a phone call from the neighbor who'd called the fire department. Naruto had gone with the woman to see what had happened, Iruka trailing behind. When the woman screeched that her cat was in the house, Naruto had darted away before Iruka could stop him. He'd gone right through the line of firefighters, ignoring the yells and hands that had reached to stop him and through the front doors of the burning house.

More than a little terrified, Iruka had tried to follow but was too slow and a pair of arms had stopped him from committing suicide by following Naruto into the house. Iruka had yelled and screamed at the firefighter and at the house before finally reduced to begging. It seemed like forever before a soot- covered figure emerged from the house with a yowling, hissing cat. Iruka had sagged with relief and watched the boy hand over the cat to the sobbing, grateful woman. The firefighters had thought that he was so brave and had applauded him. Iruka had grabbed the boy in his arms squishing him into a hug then proceeded to lecture him on every danger known to man.

But Naruto hadn't stopped there, he'd spent the next two days helping the woman find a new home, helped her through the insurance paperwork, the purchase of new clothing and furniture, and the overseeing of all the details that went into recovering from the fire. He'd talked to the firefighters of the phone to see why the fire had started in the first place. He called his father's business associates and got them to donate money to the woman to cover expenses that weren't covered by the insurance. He didn't sleep and barely ate during all of this he'd done everything in his power to help. By the end the woman not only had a new house, but also a hefty sum of money in the bank from all the donations. And Naruto had passed out in the street on the way home from seeing the cat to the vet for a final check- up to make sure that it was fine.

Startled, Iruka had quickly picked the boy up, surprised that even in sleep he kept a tight hold on the cat's carrier, and taken him to the nearest doctor. The doctor had told him that Naruto was fine, just exhausted, and that Iruka should make sure that from now on he needed to make sure that the boy was on a routine that allowed him to get plenty of sleep and nourishment which was easier said than done. Naruto was stubborn to the point of being mulish and any time he found a cause he was like a dog with a bone.

"Naruto, are you sure that you're ready for this?. I could talk to Minato…" Iruka trailed off when he saw at see the slow smile that emerged on Naruto's face.

"Iruka-sensei, have you ever seen me back down from a challenge? I'm going to be the best! And soon everyone is going to know that name of Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto's hand shot out and he gave Iruka a thumbs up.

Naruto wasn't going to allow Iruka to worry over something as simple as him following in his father's footsteps. For taking him in and raising him like he had always been his father, Naruto felt like he owed Minato everything. Naruto could still remember a time when he hadn't had anything to eat for days, the gnawing pain in his empty stomach and the only water he'd been able to find to drink was muddy and warm. His mother had died the year before during a robbery of their small apartment. She'd walked in on the thief and been shot. They'd never found him and Naruto had been stuck in a foster home. It hadn't taken him long to figure out that the adults were resentful of having another mouth to feed and take care of, so Naruto had begun his life of the streets at the age of ten.

He'd stumbled across Minato as he'd been running from a grocer after snitching an apple from his outside fruit stand. Ready to hand him over to the grocer, Minato had pulled him to his feet and froze. Ignoring the grocer's angry shouts, Minato had studied the boy under the grime then handed the man a hundred dollar bill. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, the grocer had subsided and went back to his store. Without a word to the boy, Minato had called for his car and bundled the small boy into it.

Naruto knew the dangers of getting into a car with a complete stranger, more so than the pampered little kids that lived with their mothers and fathers. So as soon as he'd been tossed into the car he'd launched himself at the other door, scrambling to open it, yelling about not being a victim. The man had calmly pulled the boy away from the door and buckled him into the seat belt.

"Where do you live?" the man had asked in a kind, husky voice.

"None of your business, you perv!" Naruto shouted, still squirming to get away from the man.

The questions had continued and Naruto had been as insulting as he could and the language that he'd garnered from living on the streets had given him a wide range of colorful euphemisms to draw from. Minato took his salty language in stride and they'd eventually ended up at his house with Naruto eating as fast as he could from a bowl filled with soup while still spouting about perverts and kidnapping children. Kyuubi had walked in just then and told the boy if he didn't quit yelling at his father, he was going to stuff a sock in the boy's mouth. Naruto had stared at Kyuubi for three seconds before telling him to try because Naruto was going to kick his weak, pampered ass if he did. Kyuubi pulled a towel from the rack next to the sink—since a sock wasn't available—and tried. Naruto had been quick and agile. Minato had watched as the whole kitchen was made into a shambles as Kyuubi tried to muffle and alternately strangle Naruto. Soon the small, dirty urchin was rolling on the floor with laughter as Kyuubi knelt over him, tickling him having lost the towel a while ago, and the next best thing was to torture the dirty-mouthed, little punk.

It wasn't long after that before Naruto confessed to who he was, who his mother was, and what had happened to them. Having a warm place to live, all the food he could possibly want, and people that loved and cared for him were luxuries that he was more than grateful for. They were things that he never took for granted because he knew that in moments they could be taken from him again.

This thing with the Uchiha's was something that Naruto wanted to fix, almost desperately. The minor attacks to people he cared for needed to stop. Every time someone came back with bruises brought the reality of just how fragile his world was back. Each cut felt like it was inflicted on that scared street urchin. He didn't want to lose his family again, but he didn't know how to resolve the issues that even Minato didn't know about. The rivalry, according to Minato, happened long before he'd been born and he didn't know the cause. It was like a tumor that spread unchecked for so long that they didn't know where it had started and each time they tried to cut it out, it became more malignant.

Minato had told Naruto that he'd once asked the Uchiha leader, Madara, to meet with him so that they could come to a truce. The man had absolutely refused to have anything to do with the Namikaze's. Minato suspected that Madara knew the truth of why there was a breach between the families but he wasn't going to speak of it to anyone outside the Uchiha family.

Naruto picked up his mask from the table and pulled it over his head, more to hide the sudden fear that clenched at his gut. He looked at Iruka and nodded for him to put his mask on also. When the man had the mask in place, Naruto thought that he looked dashing and mysterious and he said so. From the way that Iruka's ears turned purple, Naruto knew that he'd embarrassed his nanny but also made him feel good too. Everyone liked being told how good they looked.

"Thank you, Naruto. You don't look half bad yourself," Iruka commented warmly.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto held out his elbow for Iruka to take, planning on escorting him below to the partiers that were waiting for the grand entrance of Minato's heir. Feeling more than a little trepidation, Naruto clutched at the hand that took his arm, drawing strength from his nanny.

"What if they don't like me, Iruka?" Naruto asked uncertainly, showing the vulnerable young child that he still was.

"Just be yourself, Naruto, and no one, not even an Uchiha, would be able to resist you." Iruka pulled the suddenly reluctant boy from the room, knowing that if they didn't do this now, they wouldn't be doing it at all.

* * *

**A/N: Alrighty, I've just gotten this chapter back so hopefully, I found all the little changes. A brief note to thank my beta K.R. Ukido, she does an excellent job! And to my faithful followers I really appreciate your interest and comments! To those of you still in school, good luck, and even more to those of you out of school! Next chapter is the party and hopefully a meeting between Naruto and Sasuke!**


	4. Act Four

**Sasuke and Naruto**

_Act Four_

_By Zenerific1_

Sasuke was standing in a dimly lit corner of the huge ballroom watching as Itachi talked with some of the people there. He'd seen the gleam in his brother's eyes when they'd spotted Sarutobi. Itachi had excused himself, saying it wouldn't do to not speak with the man, even though they knew he was a Namikaze supporter. Suigetsu and Juugo had drifted off into the crowd; Suigetsu looking for a quickie and Juugo muttering that he would keep Suigetsu out of trouble.

Sasuke reached up to make sure that the half mask that Itachi had insisted they all wear was still in place. They had been standing in line at the gates while security had gone over everyone with one of those metal detectors. The party was by invitation only and Sasuke had been sure that they wouldn't be getting in. He stepped up to the security guard and raised his hands to be scanned while Itachi had pulled an invitation from his obi. Sasuke had narrowed his eyes briefly but didn't say anything as they were waved through.

"How did you get that?" Sasuke asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"I simply called in a favor," was all Itachi would say, even when Sasuke had demanded to know the source, but his brother refused to say anything else.

Now here Sasuke was in a room full of hot, sweating bodies, some of which were trying to dance while others gossiped in little groups at the fringes.

"According to Yamanaka, Minato is making an announcement tonight regarding the future of his company. Do you suppose that he's finally naming Kyuubi as his heir?"

"Well, he certainly can't name that illegitimate brat the heir, can he? His stocks would take a nose dive. That spawn of a demon would put this company into the toilet."

"True, I would pull my sponsorship immediately not to mention my votes. I just wouldn't be able to trust that Namikaze was still in his right mind if he named that _boy_ his heir." The word boy was infused with such disdain that it made even Sasuke flinch.

He'd been listening in on the conversation around him and it seemed that everyone was saying the same things. They all believed that Minato's younger son being named the heir apparent was the worst thing that Minato Namikaze could do for his business. He rolled his eyes.

"Did you hear what he did at the academy just this last spring? He failed the finals!"

"Couldn't even cheat properly! That girl of Hyuuga's was kicked out too! Her father got it out of her that she was trying to help him, but according to her he refused. Ha!"

"Utterly ridiculous, him refusing to cheat. He's the son of a common whore, why would anyone believe such rot, refusing help like that on such an important test, is such garbage."

"So, you're saying that you would cheat if you were offered such help?" A smooth voice broke into the conversation.

Sasuke looked to see who this new voice was. The new character on the stage was a tall man in a black demon mask and a cloak that hid his body down to his knees. Only the dark trousers and shiny wing tips were visible.

"Of course not. In the first place I wouldn't need to cheat, because—"

"You're an uptight, self-righteous bitch?"

The woman who had been gossiping with her friends was unnerved enough to drop the hand held mask. Her long horse-like features paled and she shook slightly at the insult, before she gathered herself to give the man a thorough dressing down.

"How dare--?"

She was interrupted again. "Mrs. Kiya, we all know that you would like nothing more that to see the Namikaze fail and be humiliated. After all, he did turn down your very public pursuit of him two years ago. It would perhaps be better if you just kept your mouth shut so that you don't further embarrass yourself or your husband." With those words, the man turned on his heel and stalked off to another section of the room.

"How dare he address me like that?" The woman turned red-faced to slander the person that had just left, only to find that her companions of moments before had slunk off to different groups, not wanting to be associated with her any longer.

Sasuke watched the cloaked figure disappear into the crowd.

"Magnificent, isn't he?"

Startled into almost jumping, Sasuke frowned at his brother who had just appeared at his shoulder.

"I thought that you were busy schmoozing with Aburame?"

"Oh, I was until he began with his whole organic, pesticide-free gardening crap."

Sasuke nodded in understanding. He'd had to sit through enough of those conversations when his father forced him into dinning with the head of the Aburame clan. The man's whole family was obsessed with saving the planet. It had something to do with some beetle that lived in their forest being nearly extinct. He'd heard more than once that they were only a hundred or so of the species left. Who in their right minds kept track of such things? The whole entomologic family was nuts.

"Besides, it looked like the entertainment over here was much more enjoyable," chuckled Itachi. He motioned in the direction that the man had gone. "I've been following Kyuubi around all night trying to get close enough to the man to talk to, but he always seems to disappear just before I can."

"That was Kyuubi?" Sasuke was dually impressed. He was nearly as good as an Uchiha at dressing people down, plus he was noble enough to protect his brother.

"Yep," Itachi chortled, "He would make such a good Uchiha, don't you think?"

Sasuke slowly turned and looked at his brother in horrified fascination. "Who are you, and where is my brother? Uchiha don't find humor in any situation, we don't express humor either, and most importantly, we do not think that a Namikaze would be good Uchiha material."

"Ah, but you see, I don't believe in this whole feud thing. It's like trying to read by candle light when there are light bulbs. It's outdated just like Madara. And so is the whole non-emotion schpill." Itachi smiled at Sasuke's incredulous face. "I understand the need to show a poker face while dealing with business; after all you don't need to give away your upper hand before the ink has dried. But to not have fun and enjoy life, Sasuke, is just plain boring. I'm done with being boring. I want to live and I want to have fun and I want to upset the balance of one Kyuubi Namikaze."

Itachi brushed past his brother intent on following Kyuubi to his next destination he imparted some more advice, "And if I'm not mistaken then this whole night is going to be a revelation for us both."

More than a little weirded out, Sasuke made his way around the ballroom to the terrace doors that had been opened to allow a breeze to cool the occupants of the room. Sasuke slipped past fluttering shears and into the cool night. He moved away from the light and settled onto a stone bench in a secluded corner of the terrace. He drew deep of the fresh air to calm his nerves and wondered for the thousandth time how it was that Itachi had talked him into coming to this event.

It wasn't like the others that he had attended, sent by his father to take Itachi's place. Those times he'd been looking for the right opening to employ his knowledge to further his father's business along or to generate interest. They weren't social situations, at least not in Sasuke's mind, they were meetings or negotiations. To be placed in a social climate where the only thing expected of him was to have fun, made Sasuke feel awkward and unsure.

During his younger days, he'd been shy and stand-offish, which had caused the kids at school to think he was cool because he wouldn't talk to anyone. He hung out with Suigetsu and Juugo because they didn't feel the need to make him talk. In fact, Suigetsu was always talking while he and Juugo had listened to him ramble. They were also the rich kids, so that generated its own fan base of gold digging girls who wanted the prestige of being a pampered girlfriend. Whereas Suigetsu started to take advantage of this fact when he was old enough to understand it, Sasuke had realized that he wasn't interested in girls that way. He wasn't interested in boys either. For some reason, he couldn't help but think that he wanted something more meaningful than what one of those shallow relationships offered.

Taking out a small plastic box of mints, he opened it, only to have them go flying when a hard body crashed into his. He ended up on the ground, groaning while said body sprawled on top of him. When he opened his eyes they were met with a red fox mask behind which startled sapphire eyes shone. The color such a true blue, that for a moment, Sasuke was mesmerized. He couldn't look away, or think, or do anything logical while he was drowning in those eyes. They were so close that he could feel the warmth of air rushing over his lips, and he parted his to take in the taste of that air.

Then reality crashed in as the body moved to get up off of him causing him more pain as a knee was pressed roughly between his legs.

"Oh man, I'm really sorry. Iwasn''tthinkthatanyonewasouthere. I'mreallysorry!" The apology was stated in such a rush that it took a moment for Sasuke to figure out where the breaks in the words were supposed to be.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted sitting up, wincing as he tried to rearrange where his balls were without giving in and using his hands.

"Are you alright?" A hand appeared in Sasuke vision and he looked up. "Let me help you up." The fox asked.

Sasuke took the hand against his better judgment and was startled to find that it was calloused in odd places. The warmth of the hand that engulfed his cold one felt so good that Sasuke allowed the touch to linger even after he'd been helped to his feet. He looked up to find the man's mask was still in place but he'd lost his. Those eyes were devouring Sasuke and the man seemed to have forgotten that he still had Sasuke's hand.

The other's calloused hand reached up and slid the mask back, revealing a gorgeous face underneath. It was smooth and tanned, the only blemish being three faint white lines that graced each cheek. But they didn't detract from the beauty of the man. He had huge blue eyes and a cute nose. Full lips were parted as if waiting for a kiss, one that Sasuke found he very much wanted to give him. A lock of golden hair, slid into the man's eyes, and Sasuke reflexively reached up to brush it back, allowing his hand to slid down the soft cheek.

"You're very pretty," the man said softly, and Sasuke noticed that a husky note had entered his voice making it deeper, more sinful.

"Hn, idiot," Sasuke grunted unable to form anything more.

The man's eyes widened at the insult and he dropped Sasuke's hand like a hot potato. He frowned or tried to but it was more of a pout with his lower lip sticking out. His arms came up to fold over his narrow chest. Sasuke found the whole action endearing but didn't say so. Instead he smirked.

"Look, I said I was sorry," the fox said. "You don't have to be such a bastard about it and call people names."

"Hn." And a wider smirk.

The lip came out more. "Fine! Be all caveman-y and just grunt. I don't have to stand around and put up with it." He turned away from Sasuke and took a step, while Sasuke tried to think of something that would keep the man with him.

"Naruto?" A voice said from the lit section of the terrace.

"Crap!" The man said and turned back to Sasuke. "Don't say anything!" He demanded then yanked Sasuke forward and kissed him.

Sasuke felt his whole world shift in an instant like planets were aligning and plans were being made. His body went hot and his blood raced through his veins. He felt the heat rush to two different places at once as he face and groin heated. And that at just the press of lips against his, there wasn't any motion involved.

Hearing footsteps approach, he saw Danzo's nephew step into view. The man was paler than any Uchiha and his dark hair was cut close to his head. There was also a possessive look in his eye when he spotted them. Sasuke wasn't about to let this man take what he'd figured was his so he raised his arms and wrapped them around thin shoulders then turned his full attention to making sure that the man in his arms knew who he belonged to.

The kiss turned serious and Sasuke coaxed the other man's lips open so that he could explore the hidden recessed inside. He swept his tongue over teeth and explored the inside of cheeks before dueling with the sweet warmth of tongue playing over the muscle and dominating it. The man tasted sweeter than any candy and Sasuke knew that he could easily become addicted to it. He widened his stance and slid his hands down to grip hip and yanked the man closer so that their erections brushed. A low moan came from deep within a tanned throat and the body moved to press against him again, grinding into Sasuke.

Inside his head, Sasuke smirked, but outwardly he just cupped a firm ass and squeezed to let his appreciation known. He drifted away from the lips needing to taste the rest of the flesh. He nipped and licked his way down the jaw line to the hollow of Naruto's throat.

Sasuke had picked up that this was Naruto from the reaction the man had shown when Sai had called his name. It was the only thing that had processed through his mind before Naruto had kissed him.

Sasuke turned Naruto slightly and pushed him back a couple of steps never breaking contact with the throat he was deliberately marking.

Naruto's back hit the hard surface of the exterior wall and the cool stone brought some focus back to him. Warm lips were sucking and biting at the pulse point in his throat, making him think that the man wanted the act out the role his was dressed as. Naruto also noticed that Sai was gone, but he didn't want to stop the exquisite sensations that the dark haired man was causing in his stomach and lower.

A hard thigh pressed between his and Naruto shifted enough to let it. His head tilted back and an electric ball spiked through his groin and he nearly came but was able to clench his muscles in time to stop it.

"God!" he muttered harshly. "If you don't stop, I'm going to cum."

"Hn." The muffled grunt reached Naruto ears and the sound pushed him to a new plane of pleasure.

He groaned and his hands wandered under the cloak the man wore to explore the fabric covered figure. He could feel the hardness of muscle and knew that the taller man was cut. He felt the man's hands exploring him, and followed along the same paths.

"P—please," Naruto muttered and paused as he realized he didn't even know who this man was. "I—what—I don't know your name." He lowered his face to tuck it into the curve of the man's throat to hide the blush that stole across it, making it an even darker red than the flushed pink that passion had stained it.

"Sasuke." The man whispered even as his hands slid up Naruto's chest and undid a few of the buttons giving him access to the collar bone. Teeth raked across the clavicle, bringing with it a rush of new sensations. Naruto remembered the odd elongated teeth when he'd explored the others mouth and he now realized that they were as sharp as they felt. A slice of pain that dulled into pleasure as a warm tongue lapped at the hurt.

Naruto felt more buttons being freed and the dress shirt along with the tuxedo jacket was pushed from his shoulder and down his arms trapping them. He didn't even know when the tie had been removed or where it was.

"S—Sasuke…" Naruto moaned when pale fingers found his nipples and brushed lightly over them. He arched into the touch, unable to stop, bowing his back in silent entreaty for more of the same touch. Sasuke didn't disappoint him. His fingers latched onto the offering and squeezed, rolling the hard buds between his thumb and forefinger. "Ah!"

Sasuke smiled at the lovely noises that were coming from Naruto. Each whimper and moan drove him to push the blond even further. He licked his way down the heaving chest to replace his fingers on the copper disks. A ragged half yell was followed up by a hand slapping over a mouth. Sasuke laved the hard tip with his tongue experimenting. Pressing his tongue against it and suckling, then swirled the tip of his tongue around it and each one rewarding him with a different sound. The sucking generated a harsh gasp, while the swirling created a soft whimper.

Sasuke's hands drifted down to play across the defined six-pack before sliding along the waistband of Naruto's slacks. He dipped a finger into the pants and petted the skin, hearing the acceleration of his partner's breathing. A strong hand clamped around his wrist, halting his exploration and sapphire eyes clouded with passion sought his face.

"We can't," gasped Naruto as he pulled away.

"Why? You seem to be enjoying yourself," the cool voice doused what remained of Naruto's passion.

He took a few minutes to straighten his clothing, buttoning the buttons quickly and tucking the shirt back into his trousers. As he tried to smooth out the wrinkles he looked around for the bow tie. Not finding it, he shrugged slightly telling himself that he would have to see if Iruka had another one. Then he turned his attention back to Sasuke.

Naruto smiled as he took in the mussed and tangled hair as well as the swollen lips. The pink flush across pale cheeks was more than a little satisfying. Naruto took an involuntary step but forced himself to stop when he saw the rekindled passion flare in Sasuke's eyes.

"Why?" Sasuke asked again impatience showing through.

"I've got responsibilities," was all Naruto was willing to confess.

"Naruto!" This time a different voice called from the terrace doors and in seconds Iruka appeared. "Finally! I've been searching for you for the last ten minutes. Sai said he'd thought that you'd gone out onto the terrace but he only found a…couple…" Iruka broke off when he noticed that he charge wasn't alone. Sharp eyes took in the Uchiha and then widened in shock as he recognized Sasuke. He then noticed the ragged appearance of Naruto's clothing and misjudged the situation. He moved swiftly to place himself between Naruto and the Uchiha. "What are _you_ doing here?" he asked quietly, voice lowering to a deadly growl.

Confused, Naruto looked back and forth between Sasuke and Iruka. He'd only seen Iruka act this way once before when they'd been shopping and their path had crossed an…Uchiha. Naruto turned to Sasuke and waited with held breath for his response.

"I was trying to enjoy the party." Sasuke leaned back against the wall, keeping his body relaxed and tried to convey that he wasn't a threat through his body language. He had finally realized just who Naruto was and he was going over the back-up plan in his mind.

"How did you get in? The party was invitation only and I know that one wasn't sent to the Uchiha clan. Plus, I was the one to arrange the security, not even the Hokage himself wouldn't be able to get in unless he had an invitation."

"But I did have an invitation." Sasuke wasn't about to bring anyone else into the situation. "I didn't mean anyone any harm nor did I harm anyone. You can even ask Naruto." He motioned towards the silent and worried blond.

Iruka looked at Naruto and his keen eyes finally registered the swollen lips and the lingering flush. A look of surprise, anger, and disappointment rolled across his features and he slowly relaxed his stance.

"Naruto what were you doing out here with Sasuke Uchiha?" Iruka demanded.

"I—I didn't know he was an Uchiha," Naruto mumbled.

"Do you even know who he is?"

"You just said he was Sasuke Uchiha."

"Shit! He's the second son of Fugaku Uchiha, Madara's heir!" Iruka's voice rose with each word until Naruto could almost see fire breathing out with each syllable.

"So?"

At Naruto's quiet response, Sasuke looked at the blond in surprise. He'd expected Naruto to become angry, to yell that he was an enemy, to attack him, to…anything but respond with a quiet 'so'. He found solemn eyes looking at him, the blue lost in the gathering shadows.

Naruto's shoulders straightened and he turned to Iruka. "So? He didn't attack me. He was nothing but kind when I came out here to get away from Sai! If anything, I'm the one that attacked him. When Sai followed me, I felt trapped, like I didn't have anywhere to run. So I made Sasuke kiss me! If anything it would make Sai stop his pursuit of me!"

The vehemence in Naruto's husky voice startled both men. Naruto was defending the Uchiha, an event that neither household had ever expected. But to Iruka it was so in character that he really shouldn't have been surprised.

"Naruto! Iruka! Are you out here?" A cloaked black figure appeared and on his arm was a young lady in a traditional Japanese _kimono_. Her face was painted to look like a geisha's and Iruka frowned at the resemblance she bore to the Uchiha that Naruto had just confessed to molesting. In a blink a fan appeared out of nowhere and was flicked open to hide the face from Iruka's searching eyes.

"Kyuubi? Who is…?"

"Itachi Uchiha."

"Ah, I see. I should have guessed that Sasuke wouldn't be here without some back up." Iruka muttered. He rubbed at his temples as he tried to figure out what was going on.

"Itachi?" Sasuke looked to his brother who hadn't seemed the least surprised when Kyuubi had known who he was. Itachi just shrugged and smiled even as his hand tightened on the bicep that he was clutching.

The cloaked man reached up and pushed his mask backward on his head allowing the hood to fall and reveal a face that resembled Naruto's, just without the markings and a wild head of red hair. He took in Sasuke's and Naruto's rumpled look and frowned. He raised an eyebrow at his brother and was rewarded with flushing cheeks as Naruto ducked his head to escape his brother's all-knowing look. Itachi's lips tilted up as he saw the same blush rise to his brother's cheeks.

"Naruto, Dad is looking for you. It's time for the announcement." Kyuubi reminded Iruka, who nodded in agreement remembering why he'd come in search of Naruto in the first place.

"Yes, you need to go find your father. You as well, Kyuubi. I'll make sure that these two make it off the estate without any harm coming to them." Iruka moved to grasp Sasuke's arm only to have the appendage elude his grasp as the Uchiha took a step back. Sasuke moved around Iruka and up to the blond.

Smirking, he leaned forward invading Naruto's space. He was better able to see Naruto's eyes, unable to resist teasing the blond.

"You may have initiated that kiss, but I was the one whose tongue was down your throat," he muttered for their ears only and his voice lowered even more. "And I can't wait to do it again."

Naruto swallowed and tried to suppress the shiver that race sown his spine to bubble in a heated pool in his groin. "Me too."


	5. Act Five

**Sasuke and Naruto**

_Act Five_

_By Zenerific1_

Sasuke was almost at the front door when a piercing whistle split through the noise of the crowd. He was surprised by the volume; even over the conversation and music, it pierced his eardrums and made him want to clap his hands over them.

"Damn it, Naruto, was that really necessary?" grumbled the man showing him and his brother to the door. He was sure that he'd heard what the man's name was but he couldn't recall it, his otherwise picture-perfect mind occupied by Naruto.

In the middle of the foyer, Sasuke stopped, unable to take another step towards a portal that would create a barrier between him and the blonde. The knot that he felt in his stomach a new sensation that he's never had before. If he left right now, he would never see the blonde again, Sasuke knew that the pony-tailed man that looked at him in question before the door, plus Namikaze and his older son, would make sure of it.

Itachi looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, the fan hanging from his wrist as he placed a hand on the doorknob. His simpering from before was gone, a stoic Uchiha having taken its place.

"Sasuke?" Itachi asked, an unspoken question present in his tone.

"I…" Sasuke said, an almost imperceptive twitch in his shoulder caught by Itachi's piercing gaze. Those eyes were able to see even the tiniest sweat drop from a hundred paces. Sasuke saw his lips lift slightly in reply to Sasuke unspoken statement.

"I see…"

"So…"

"Yes…"

"Okay…"

Sasuke felt relief as the knot untied itself. To Naruto's bodyguard/nanny, a conversation hadn't taken place, but the Uchiha brothers knew each other very well. Itachi understood Sasuke's need to see Naruto, just as Sasuke knew that Itachi needed to see Kyuubi, and Itachi had a backup plan. Straightening his shoulders, Sasuke finished the few steps to the door which Itachi was now holding open.

"Oh, there are two other gentlemen here with us, a piranha as well as a rhino. Will you please make sure that they know that we left?" Itachi murmured in his aristocratic voice. The voice he used on the servants at home to make sure that his bidding was done.

Iruka, automatically nodding, wondered what had happened. He'd seen a glimpse of something in the younger's eyes when he'd stopped in the middle of the foyer. Iruka had been afraid that he would need to cause a scene by throwing the boy out because that look had said just and sure as he'd spoken that he wouldn't be moving. With just the exchange of single word sentences, though, Sasuke seemed to be reassured and was leaving on his own accord.

Once leaving the mansion, the two brothers were escorted through the gates and to their car. Itachi hated being driven around, so his car now waited at the end of the street. Night had set in and the only light in the car once it was shut off was the street lamp that they were parked under. Itachi leaned over and pulled a roll of paper out of the glove box that he tossed into Sasuke's lap.

Unrolling it, he ignored the small note that fell from the page and saw that it was a blue print of a house. More importantly at the top it said that it was the blueprint of the Namikaze mansion. There were also handwritten notes at the edge of the page; these detailed what room it was, where the cameras were, and little squares that represented the locations of each piece of furniture.

Picking up the note that had fallen to his lap, he read it with a smirk.

_You can thank me later. –Kisame_

"So you hired Kisame? Is he still trying to get into your pants?"

"Hn," Itachi grunted, not deeming to respond.

Kisame was a source of irritation for Itachi. Having been a couple of years older while they were going to school, he'd thought that he was entitled to the older Uchiha, even going so far as to threaten anyone Itachi looked at twice. It had taken an ass kicking for the guy to back off, but he still tried on occasions when Itachi owed him a favor.

"So how come you didn't use Tobi?" Sasuke asked. In his opinion it would have been less difficult and less of a pain in his arse.

"Tobi got the map for me but I wanted to know where Kyuubi slept. Everything else was just Kisame trying to suck up."

_Thank heavens for that,_ Sasuke thought, studying the map and finding Naruto's name almost hidden in between security notes and possible infiltration times.

"So what does he think you wanted this for?"

"An attack to defeat the Namikaze family once and for all."

"Is that what you told him?"

"No, it's what he suggested."

Sasuke couldn't keep the humor out of his eyes and Itachi narrowed his own on his brother, hinting that if Sasuke didn't drop it, Itachi would take pleasure in finding the most humiliating and painful torture imaginable and subjecting Sasuke to it.

"Second floor, left corner bedroom," Itachi spoke slowly. It told Sasuke just how much Itachi had studied the map. "There's a trellis that will give you access to the second floor."

"I can see that."

Sasuke opened the car door and checked his watch. According to the notes the change in shifts would be in about ten minutes. If the guards were as inattentive as they were on the Uchiha estate, then Sasuke should be able to slip into the garden and up to the house unnoticed.

Looking back he announced, "Don't wait up for me," and closed the car door.

Slipping from shadow to shadow, the younger Uchiha arrived at the tall stone fence. Scaling the wall easily, he jumped down into the garden. The house was still lit up like a beacon, so Sasuke hoped that if a guard saw him, he'd think he was one of the partygoers.

In less than ten minutes, Sasuke was slipping over the balcony. _So much for the Hokage not being able to get in_, Sasuke thought smugly. Of course the Hokage would have a personal invitation and wouldn't have to sneak through the gardens. Plus Sasuke doubted that Sandaime would have Kisame on his infiltration team.

Pausing just inside the room that Kisame had marked as Naruto's, Sasuke let his eyes adjust to the dim light. He could make out the pale outline of the double bed. What little light there was glanced off metal bars of a set of shelves loaded down with books in a corner. The other corner held a computer, the generic spacey screensaver giving it away.

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat as the door knob suddenly rattled and turned. He leapt across the room making it to the door just as it swung open hiding him behind it. The light switched on blinding him momentarily.

The heavy sigh followed the sound of the door closing and the Uchiha waited for the shout of discovery. Blinking away the spots he watched as his blonde target shuffled across the room and flopped onto the bed face down. The position gave Sasuke a perfect view of Naruto's ass so the raven indulged himself. Long legs were encased by black fabric, narrow waist and wider shoulders. The boy's hair was ragged and spiked, as if Naruto had run his fingers through it several times.

Needing to get closer, Sasuke ghosted to the bed. Leaning down, he allowed his breath to tickle the hairs that feathered against the pink shell of Naruto's ear.

"Hey," he said softly.

He immediately regretted it, as Naruto shrieked and scrambled away. Sasuke grabbed the blonde and clapped a hand around Naruto's mouth silencing the scream when it was still just a squeak. The consequence of grabbing Naruto the way he had was that Sasuke ended up sprawled across the blonde. Not that he was complaining.

"Shut up, idiot," Sasuke hissed looking down into startled azure eyes. "Are you trying to get me killed?"

Naruto's eyes widened when it finally registered in his mind that he wasn't being attacked by a ghost.

"Wnngh ll iungr?" he shouted and Sasuke was glad he'd kept his hand against Naruto's mouth.

"Sh! Damn it!" he whispered harshly. "Now if I let you go are you going to yell?"

Naruto shook his head and Sasuke loosened his grip slowly, ready to slap it back into place if the boy made a move to alert security. At this thought, Sasuke wondered if the blonde was worth dying for.

"A—are you going to kill me?" Naruto whispered, fear dimmed the bright depths of his eyes.

Sasuke almost laughed at the question. "No, baka, if I'd wanted to kill you I would have done it as soon as you'd walked through the door."

"Oh." He was quiet for a moment then, "Um, why are you here?" Followed closely by yet another as something occurred to him. "Hey! You broke into my room?!"

"Hn." The unholy smirk was back on Sasuke lips.

Naruto stared at the man lying almost on top of him, making it nearly impossible for him to think clearly. Since Iruka had made Sasuke leave, Naruto had thought that he wouldn't see the young Uchiha again. The notion had caused an uncomfortable sensation to gnaw at his gut.

And now the man was lying on top of him.

When it was clear that Sasuke wasn't going to answer, Naruto prodded him. 'Why'd you break into my room and how did you know that this was my room? Hey, are you sure you're in the right place?"

"_Kami_! You ask a lot of questions. Yes, I'm in the right room and it should be pretty obvious why I'm here. To see you, _dobe_."

"Why?"

"Fuck, I don't know, I just couldn't leave without knowing that I'd see you again." Sasuke's eyes narrowed on the blonde, as if this feeling was Naruto's fault.

His mouth gapped for a second before the truth of the words sank into his head. Teeth flashed as Naruto grinned overcome with delight. He wasn't sure why, but the confession had relieved the monster in his belly and made him feel special. The Uchiha wanted to see _him_.

Sasuke shifted his weight settling his hips more comfortably between Naruto's thighs. Naruto gasped as his cock rubbed against Sasuke's belly.

"G—get off!"

Sasuke actually did smile at the command. "No."

Naruto bucked his hips, pushing at Sasuke's shoulder, but the man refused to be budged and Naruto only succeeded in making their hips grind together more. The movement sent a jolt of pleasure through his body and his slacks tightened uncomfortably. Freezing into place at the sensation, Naruto's eyes met Sasuke's.

"Pl—please…" he whispered pleadingly.

"Please, what?" Sasuke replied softly. Naruto's squirming had affected him just as much and he was sporting an uncomfortable hard on, also.

"Get off me."

Tempted as he was to deny the smaller boy, Sasuke sighed then rolled off him. "All you had to do was say 'please'." He sat up on the edge of the bed and had to duck quickly as Naruto swung his legs to do the same. Sasuke surveyed the room and realized that he had never seen so much orange in his life. He hadn't noticed before because his attention was focused on the blonde, but seeing it now made him think that it suited Naruto.

"So is this a hobby?" Naruto asked looking around. Avoiding eye contact with the Uchiha, he was still feeling the lingering happiness that Sasuke wanted to see him again.

"Hobby? What?"

Naruto's lips twitched as he suppressed his laugh. "You know, breaking into strange guys' rooms and attacking them…"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted and then glanced sideways at the blonde. "You're my first, so if this goes well, I might take it up."

"So…is it going well?"

"So far so good. I haven't been arrested or kicked out yet."

"Yet."

Naruto felt the radiant heat from Sasuke as their shoulders brushed against each other. It was a small touch but he felt it march through his entire body to settle just below his stomach. Saber-toothed butterflies were beating heavy leather wings frantically against the inside of his tummy.

"Is the party over?" Sasuke asked softly, keeping his voice low, so that if anyone passed by they wouldn't hear him.

"No," Naruto said in a normal voice, though not as loud as he could be, "but I didn't really feel like staying for the rest of the drunken revelry."

"Why not?"

"I…well…" Naruto's voice trailed off as he blushed crimson. To the young blonde the blush felt like it was going to be a permanent condition every time he was around Sasuke, and Naruto wished that he could be as cool and collected as Sasuke was.

The cute flush made Sasuke lips turn up at the corners in smug satisfaction and he had to know the rest of what was behind the blonde's imitation of a cherry tomato. "Well, what?" He bumped his shoulder against Naruto's trying—and failing—to portray innocent interest.

"It's just that I didn't think that the rest of the evening would be as…um…as exciting as it had been earlier."

"Oh?" Again, a wide eyed expression of curiosity. "What happened earlier?"

Naruto tossed him a glare and returned the shoulder bump. "Well, this dick was chasing after me all evening, no matter where I went or how many times I told him that I didn't want his attention." Sasuke frowned. Sai was more exciting than him? But Naruto wasn't finished with his story so Sasuke forced his attention back to the rambling boy. "And when I finally ditched him by seeking shelter on the terrace, I run into this total prick of a bastard, who decided that he could molest me whenever he likes because I kissed him as a cover to keep the other said dick away from me."

"Really?" Sasuke drawled. "Sounds more…erotic and arousing to me."

Swallowing hard, Naruto closed his eyes so that he could escape the sensual, half-lidded stare that Sasuke was giving him. He didn't think that he _could_ get any redder at the moment without passing out due to blood loss to his brain. Peeking, Naruto looked straight into dark eyes that were filled with amusement and something else. Something hotter. Sasuke was leaning so close that Naruto could see that those eyes weren't truly black, but there was a lacing of garnet so fine that it mixed into the coal and gave them a fiery illusion.

"I…I don't…" Stuttering, Naruto tried to think of a response.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah, Sasuke?" he sighed.

"Will you meet me at Ichiraku's tomorrow?"

Ichiraku's. Naruto's mind grab hold of that name in a desperate bid to pull his mind out of the whirlpool it was caught in.

"You know Ichiraku's?" He asked, with blatant surprise.

"Of course, idiot. Everyone knows that if you want the best ramen you go to Ichiraku's." Sasuke looked mildly perturbed by Naruto's incredulity. The blonde made it seem like Sasuke was a high classed snob and wouldn't stoop to eating anything as low class as ramen. It wasn't his favorite food, obviously, but he did occasionally have a craving for the sodium rich noodle dish.

"Well, yeah, but…" Naruto realized his blunder as soon as the words had left his mouth but he couldn't think of anything to redeem himself. "I—I just didn't think…" he slid into silence and waited for Sasuke to take the invitation back. To tell him that he'd remembered that he had a meeting, anything.

"So… Are you going to come?"

"It's alright, I underst—What?" Naruto's head came back up from studying his hands that had been fiddling with themselves in his lap. "Y—you really want to still go with me?"

Sasuke couldn't help himself because Naruto was very cute when he was flustered, so he reached across the small distance and took hold of one of his hands. He squeezed gently and said, "Of course, Naruto," drawing the name out in a deep husky voice filled with sinful images, "I'd love to take you on a date."

"A d—date?" The huge blue eyes got impossible larger as he stared at Sasuke. He shot to his feet and untangled he hand from Sasuke pacing across the room towards the balcony. Sasuke caught hold of his upper arm before he could escape and pulled him around. He could see fear in Naruto's expression.

"What?" Sasuke asked. "What is it?"

"I—I…" Naruto forced himself to stop stuttering and took in a deep breath then slowly released it. It didn't help. "I've never been on a date before," he whispered as if to say it softly would make it hurt less. "I—I don't have many friends. Because I'm always getting into trouble or screwing up, the people that I go to class with don't really want to have anything to do with me. I'm not smart. I have the hardest time understanding things at school and even with the tutors that Dad pays to help…they didn't help much. Even tonight, the adults downstairs at the party…they didn't know who I was and they said things…"

"Naruto…" Sasuke felt a deep burning rage burn in his gut on behalf of Naruto. He'd heard some of the things that had been said. Fuck! He wanted to storm downstairs and find that woman who he'd heard saying those things and slap her. "Naruto, you're father believes in you. I watched Kyuubi standing up for you so he believes in you. _I_, Sasuke Uchiha, want to get to know you. From what little I do know. You are funny, sexy, and hot. And if it's true that you refused to cheat off the Hyuuga girl, then you are honest and trustworthy. Those are some very important traits, Naruto. Trust is a big issue when it comes to developing a relationship."

Naruto ducked his head to his flushed cheeks. He really was getting tired of resembling a tomato. It was true that Hinata had offered to let him cheat, but Naruto had felt that if he was going to fail, he might as well do it honestly. Even if he had cheated, and gotten away with it, it wouldn't have mattered because his grades were just too low to have passed.

"Sasuke, I don't think…"

Sasuke pressed his lips over Naruto's before the boy could finish. Hearing the rejection in the blonde's voice along with the sorrow, Sasuke didn't want to let him finish. The Uchiha wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. Taking advantage of the open mouth, Sasuke proceeded to distract the blonde.

Naruto was lost to the heat that was Sasuke. It was like a switch in his head had been thrown and all there was in his universe was Sasuke. Sasuke's lips, his tongue, the taste of citrus and mint caused a low groan to emit from deep inside Naruto's chest. Kissing Sasuke was like being consumed by a raging inferno, but if Naruto was going to be burned alive then he much preferred this form of execution.

Naruto suddenly found himself being pushed up against the glass doors of the balcony, but they immediately gave way as Sasuke didn't latch them securely after coming through them earlier. Without the expected solid surface, the two fell through the doors and sprawled out over the stone. Naruto grunted as the air was knocked out of him when Sauske landed on top.

"Oi! You two need to keep it down over there! Some of us are trying to get a little tongue action!" It was a low hiss that barely reached Naruto's ears.

Glancing towards the call, and feeling fear crawl up his spine at being caught, Naruto saw Kyuubi pressed against the wall and glaring at him. What startled him the most was that Kyuubi wasn't alone. Itachi Uchiha, sans make-up, was wrapped around him like a barnacle. Legs clamped firmly around Kyuubi's hips and arms holding tightly to his brother's neck. Both of them were mussed from head to toe.

"Shit!" Naruto heard Sasuke's low curse and looked back at him. His cheeks were flushed a light pink and Naruto thought it was the most gorgeous color, almost better than orange. Grinning unashamedly, Naruto pushed Sasuke to the side and clambered to his feet then pulling Sasuke up with him.

"Seems like the Uchiha's have the same great taste in men," Naruto commented, earning himself a light smack on the back of his head. Kyuubi snickered when he heard the comment, but Itachi just unwrapped himself, sliding down Kyuubi's body with a shrug.

Sasuke clasped Naruto's chin and drew his head around so that his eyes were trained on Sasuke.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

* * *

**A/N: It's a short chapter, so sorry, but its a new chapter so the story still continues! YAY! Please leave a comment by clicking the 'Review this Chapter' button at the bottom of the screen. -Just in case some of you didn't see it!- See you at the next update!**

**ZEN  
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